Crash Closes Freeway During Rush Hour
A crash on the Ventura Freeway during rush hour Friday afternoon forced the closure of the southbound lanes for more than three hours and caused a massive traffic backup into Ventura, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 4:45 p.m. when the driver of a Saturn sedan rear-ended a Toyota pickup, forcing the truck driver to lose control and overturn, authorities said.
The crash happened just south of the Del Norte Road offramp. The truck, which was carrying a load of paint, struck a guardrail before flipping and coming to rest on its roof in the center lane, authorities said.
The impact of the crash crumpled the front end of the Saturn. Drivers of both vehicles were hospitalized for treatment of minor cuts and scrapes, authorities said. Their names were not released.
Traffic was detoured off the freeway at Del Norte Road.
“It was backed up for as far as I could see,” said Ventura County Fire Capt. Mark Lorenzen.
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